Gangseo pork tasting menu date night at Don Tamguso

A pork omakase meal with parking near Magok Station

Don Tamguso is a five-minute walk from Magok Station.

Don Tamguso

We drove over, and free parking was available in the underground garage, so parking was easy. The garage was spacious and pleasant; it is close to the subway station too, making this Gangseo restaurant convenient whether you come by public transit or car.

Don Tamguso is a great pork omakase restaurant with lunch and dinner courses. We reserved ahead before visiting, haha. The menu changes a little with the season, so you can enjoy a range of dishes.

Watching the dinner course come together at the bar

Inside, there are bar seats that are lovely for a date, plus a table area farther in that seats four, haha. From the bar, we could watch the dishes being made right in front of us, which made the meal a feast for the eyes too, haha.

When we were shown to our seats, there were cards with our names on them. It made us feel so welcomed!

There was a wide selection of drinks, from wine and beer to highballs, along with ades and sodas, haha.

Further inside, there was information about the day's course and the restaurant. We visited for dinner, haha. Corkage is ₩20,000 per bottle under 25°C and ₩40,000 per bottle at 25°C or above, so feel free to bring a bottle you want. They even offer lettering for birthdays, so it would be nice for a special occasion too, haha.

Starting the course with soup and ades

The soup arrived first. They place the menu on top like this, so you can take it and set it on the table, haha.

It had soft fresh cream, making it nutty and deeply flavorful. The bacon and celery added a nice texture, and it was delicious.

It was pleasantly warm rather than piping hot, so it was perfect for settling the stomach at the start, haha.

Since we drove, we ordered a lemon ade and a peach ade instead, one each, haha.

Both were generous and tasty, but I really recommend trying the peach ade—it tasted so refined and good.

We clinked our glasses like this and drank up, haha. The cool, bright fizz went wonderfully with the courses still to come, haha.

The advantage of bar seating! You can watch the cooking process yourself. There were lots of people, plates, and carefully prepared steps, but everything was kept incredibly clean and tidy, which made me trust the place even more.

It made us even more excited to see what would come next.

Bright salad and lasagna

The second course was a salad topped with orange foam. It looked beautiful and had a lovely freshness.

With sagawa, basil, dried persimmon, grapefruit, and more, it was fresh and crisp, while the dried persimmon added a pleasantly chewy texture. We really enjoyed it.

The third course was lasagna, topped with shiitake mushrooms, white ragù sauce, mozzarella, and tomato.

The shiitake mushrooms were incredibly tender and the presentation was lovely. The nuttiness of the cheese and savory saltiness of the sauce came together beautifully.

Tender pork tenderloin and chewy pork belly

The fourth course was the star of the day: pork tenderloin. It was seasoned with shio koji (salted rice malt), so it had plenty of flavor without being bland.

Roasted broccoli, tomato, and button mushrooms came as garnishes, and they were great alongside the meat.

Can you see that cross-section? It was truly tender, with not a bit of toughness, and the quality was excellent. Hands down the best pork I have had recently—better than beef, even.

They also served house-made pickles, which were great to eat with the meat, haha.

The next, second main was pork belly. It came with seasoned minari (water parsley) and huajiao, making it especially good with the pork belly.

The pork belly had rendered off its fat, but it was not dry at all—just deliciously chewy. It was so good with the seasoned minari, haha.

It was also delicious with the various toppings, including huajiao and cumin.

A choice of risotto or burger

Next came the choice between risotto and a burger, haha. We ordered one risotto and one burger and shared them.

First, the signature risotto was made with barley and Wando abalone.

The barley had a nice texture and was well-seasoned with the sauce. The abalone was soft rather than tough, and the fried bangpung greens added a lovely texture and nutty flavor.

The signature burger included a house-made patty, onion, cheese, and carrot râpée.

The bun was good too, and the patty had a wonderful smoky aroma that made it seriously delicious. The carrot râpée and cheese combination was also great.

Finishing with glutinous rice cake and mango pudding

Dessert is served at the end as well. Writing a receipt review upgrades the dessert of the day to signature desserts: the standard dessert is one item, while the signature option includes two.

We got the signature desserts like this: chapssaltteok (glutinous rice cake) and mango pudding. Ah, they looked so beautiful and neat that I was excited right away, haha.

The coconut chapssaltteok was wonderfully chewy, mildly rich, and sweet too, so it was perfect for cleansing the palate after the meal.

The mango pudding was also incredibly soft, sweet, and refreshing—a lovely final bite.

If you are looking for a great date spot near Magok Station, how about visiting Don Tamguso?